Google’s FLoC Is a Terrible Idea

This captures my feelings on the issue:

> That framing is based on a false premise that we have to choose between “old tracking” and “new tracking.” It’s not either-or. Instead of re-inventing the tracking wheel, we should imagine a better world without the myriad problems of targeted ads.

I don't want to be tracked. I never have wanted to be tracked. I shouldn't have to aggressively opt-out of tracking; it should be a service one must opt-in to receive. And it's not something we can trust industry to correct properly. This is precisely the role that privacy-protecting legislation should be undertaking.

Stop spying on us, please.

<sarcasm>But what about a "free and open web".</sarcasm>

These constant references to "the web" when discussing certain companies is annoying. The www does not belong to any incorporated middleman. I do not care how much traffic they are curently in control of. The www is a medium not a small, privileged group of messengers. How is this company even contemplating something like this. Answer: Because a majority of users choose a browser controlled by an advertising company. WTF.

This company will no doubt exert influence/control over the "standards" process and next thing we know, every developer working on a browser will feel obligated to "implement FLoC". Maybe this is an either-or question. Who is the www for: users or advertisers. The middleman needs both. Advertisers need the middleman and users. But users do not need advertisers. And, truly, they do not need the middleman. Users are creating the content. The middleman just sits in between, spying on everything.

Maybe there needs to be more than one www. Maybe there needs to be a non-commercial www for smart people.